Preserving wines and other beverages and perishable substances once they have been initially exposed to air has long been a problem that has confronted consumers who want to utilize only a portion of the substance leaving the rest for a later occasion. Indeed, many inventors have sought to provide systems and methods for preserving retained liquids and other substances against degradation by exposure to air. Unfortunately, most attempts of the prior art have failed without expensive and complicated pressurized systems.
For instance, due to its chemical composition, wine is susceptible to degradation by an increase in acidity and spoiling when it is exposed to a significant amount of undesired oxygen. Indeed, to the experienced palate, oxygen typically produces a negative impact on the taste of wine within hours of oxygen exposure.
Some methods of the prior art are relatively simple. For instance, many will seek to limit a wine's exposure to the oxygen content in ambient air by merely re-corking an opened wine bottle and placing the bottle in a cool place or refrigerating the corked container. Although not overly difficult, such methods are of extremely limited effectiveness and reliability.
Other methods have involved adding matter to the inner volume of the vessel to replace the volume of dispensed wine. Solids, liquids, and gases have been inserted into the open inner volumes of wine bottles and other vessels seeking to displace oxygen-rich air from the vessel to limit the amount of oxygen that is in the bottle available to interact with and deteriorate the wine. Some such methods have involved inserting stones, glass beads, and other solid objects into the vessel. Others seek to displace or prevent the introduction of ambient air into the vessel by injecting oils or inert gases into the inner volume of the vessel. Still other inventors have sought to confront degradation by filling a bladder inserted into the open inner volume and inflating the bladder to fill the inner volume as the liquid exits the vessel. Each such method and system disadvantageously tends to introduce undesirable contaminants, such as dirt, oil, bacteria, fungi, and other contaminants, to the inner volume of the vessel. The introduction of such contaminants runs directly counter to the goal of preserving the integrity of the contained wine or other substance and can itself contribute to spoilage while also representing a hazard to the health of the consumer.
One system involving an expandable bladder is disclosed in the Sep. 26, 1967 U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,701 to Mahoney for a Sealing and Exhausting Device for Containers. There, Mahoney teaches a system where a replacement stopper is inserted into a vessel. An expansible bulb is retained by a tube that passes through the stopper, and an exhaust tube passes through the stopper to permit the passage of air from the inner volume of the vessel as the bulb is expanded. Even beyond the undesirable insertion of a foreign object into what may be a very valuable bottle of wine, for instance, the system taught by Mahoney and many similar systems of the prior art still leave at some unadulterated, high-oxygen air in the vessel. Moreover, an unintentional depressurization of the bulb, such as by leaking or another malfunction, will leave the contents of the vessel fully exposed to ambient air and consequent degradation.
Further inflatable bladder systems are taught, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,578 to Fipp et al. and in U.S. Pat. No. 7,051,901 to Hickert. Fipp et al. teach a system similar to that disclosed by Mahoney where a stopper plug retains an expansible bladder, and a venting valve permits air within a bottle to be exhausted. A pump is provided to inflate the bladder. Fipp et al. go further than Mahoney by providing an inert gas reservoir for dispensing an inert gas into the vessel prior to the inflation of the bladder so that a protective layer is formed atop the retained liquid. In Hickert, air can be forced into an expansible bladder by a hand pump to cause the level of wine in the bottle to rise to con act the stopper. Again, however, the systems and methods of Fipp et al, and Hickert entail the insertion of a foreign bladder into direct contact with the vessel's contents, and the performance of the system hinges largely on the bladder's resistance to deflating.
Yet another system seeking to preserve the perishable contents of a bottle through an expansible bladder within the bottle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,395,949 to Ehret et al. Here, the filling of the bladder is sought to be achieved by volumetric displacement where a pressure differential created when wine or other liquid is exhausted through a borehole in a stopper tends to draw ambient air into a second borehole in the stopper to inflate an expandable volumetric displacement balloon disposed within the inner volume of the bottle. Still, one must expose the contents of the vessel to the inserted balloon, which is designed to be repeatedly. Furthermore, operation of the Ehret et al, system hinges on ability to inflate the balloon and the balloon's continued ability to stay inflated even when unattended.
Other methods of the prior art involve evacuating air from the inner volume of the wine bottle or other vessel thereby to attempt to create and maintain a vacuum. Under such methods, a minimized amount of oxygen is left in the vessel so that, ideally, degradation of the vessel's contents is correspondingly minimized. However, inducing and maintaining a sufficient vacuum has typically proven challenging. Furthermore, an indication of when adequate vacuum pressure has been achieved or lost is normally nonexistent. Consequently, a user cannot be confident that the contents of the vessel are being preserved even when the process is initiated, and, even if a proper vacuum is initially created, the contents can spoil during the very time that the user believes they are being protected.
Other systems are known where an inflatable bladder is avoided by the direct injection of an inert gas under pressure into the inner volume of the vessel. Such systems can simultaneously achieve a dispensing of the liquid contents of the vessel and an insertion of the preservative gas as the pressurized gas displaces the liquid through an exhaust port. Some of these types of systems involve piercing the original cork with a trocar or other piercing device to create one or more fluid pathways between the inner volume of the vessel and the environment. One example of such a system is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,711 to Ellis. There, a hollow screw with first and second passageways is driven through the cork. Gas under pressure is injected from a canister through one passageway, and liquid is discharged through the second passageway. This and similar approaches can be challenging and expensive to implement and maintain such that they are outside the budget of many individual consumers. Indeed, users are often left to guess whether they have injected a sufficient volume of the inert gas. Where too little gas is injected, the wine or other substance is inadequately protected. Consequently, many are tempted to inject an extra burst of gas, which is wasteful and dangerous. Indeed, where too much gas is injected, excess pressure can accumulate in the bottle leading to leakage or, worse, dangerous bursting of the bottle. Further, the gas canisters are typically disposable thereby contributing to environmental waste.
The prior art also discloses systems where an entire bottle or multiple bottles are maintained in a container that can be filled with preservative gas. An example of such a system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,680 to Sitton. Under the teachings of the '680 patent, a chamber is provided to receive an opened bottle, and pressurized inert gas is introduced to preserve the contents of the bottle and, when sufficiently pressurized, to dispense liquid from the bottle through a fluid dispensing conduit. Properly maintained, such systems do insulate the contents of the bottle from excess exposure to oxygen-rich ambient air, but the acquisition and maintenance costs and complexities leave the systems accessible only to restaurants and similar businesses and a limited set of individuals.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, despite the many attempts of the prior art to provide devices, systems, and methods to preserve the quality of wine and other substances in an opened vessel, there remains a real need for a system and method for preserving wine and other perishable substances that overcomes the notable disadvantages that remain. In particular, the state of the art makes clear that there is a need for a preservation system and method that is highly effective and reliable not only on initial application but also during use and storage. It is similarly clear that there is a need for a preservation system and method that is elegant and uncomplicated in application and use such that confident, safe, and effective use can be achieved by neophyte and expert users alike. Still further, there is a need for a preservation system and method that can be affordable not only during initial manufacture and sale but also during continued usage. It is also clear that the provision of such a system and method that does not require the insertion of foreign objects into the inner volume of the vessel would be advantageous structurally and hygienically.